Praying to the aliens

Electro-pioneers John Foxx and Gary Numan have finally been coming together this week thanks to Numan's contribution to the DNA exhibition in London, and artistic and multi-media celebration of Foxx's work which spreads over more than 30 years.
Numan's contribution to the apart from exhibiting his very first synthesiser is also an interview with Steve Malins where he expresses his admiration for Foxx during Ultravox's Systems of Romance period (1978-79) "light years ahead of anything else at the time". Numan states his admiration for Foxx and states that "Ultravox genuinely did a lot of the things I get credit for", although admits that Ultravox didn't quite get 'the visual side' right.
A further interview with Foxx by Numan himself has also been published by Drowned in Sound. Foxx discusses his early years with Ultravox, his solo work moving into total electronics,"You couldn't ask a band to hang around while you chanced everything on a single move like that", and plans for the future "Mainly making movies...Music projects with Harold Budd, Paul Daley (Leftfield), Benge, Vincent Gallo all in various stages of completion".

John Foxx's new 'The Quiet Man' spoken word CD is out this week and DNA continues until 31st July.
A new book "Backstage" on Numan's touring years at the end of the 70s/early 80s has been rescheduled for release in March 2010.



Numan's Oscar synth ay DNA: sadly, switched off.

BLT twitpic

Chav's revenge

..and by some coincidence, My Sylvian's ex-wife Ingrid Chavez will also be releasing her new solo album A Flutter and Some Words in September.
Chavez began working with Sylvian on Ryuichi Sakamoto's 'Heartbeat' single. Soon after, Ingrid married David and over the years contributed her trademark whispered-stylevocals to a number of her husband's releases. During the mid-1990s, Chavez worked with Sylvian on a second solo album entitled, 'Little Girls with 99 lives' which was never released.
On her facebook profile Chavez cites her influences as "..thunderclouds, tangerine skies, venus over temple mountain, power lines, silhouettes, moonlight and shadows, back roads."
Her current partner, Lorenzo Scopellito, has also colloborated on "Flutter". Follow Ms Chavez on twitter if you will..

Sylvian/Sakamoto - Heartbeat




Ingrid Chavez and some snow; cheer up Ing, might never happen..

September is..

..the title of a song by David Sylvian and also the month of the release of his new album... Manafon is set for release on September 14th 2008 and will be available as a regular CD/digipak edition and a twin volume deluxe edition with CD and DVD featuring the film 'Amplified Gesture'. Details and new website to follow soon.
Watch this space..or this one.

David Sylvian - Small Metal Gods

Cargo plaque for Joy Division

Joy Division are to be honoured by Rochdale Council with a commemorative "blue plaque" at the Kenion Street Music Building, formerely Cargo Studios where the band among others recorded many of their songs. The building was also home to Peter Hook's Suite 16 Studios until closure in 2001. The blue plaque on the building has been the subject of a campaign by Chris Hewitt who has also managed to get a blue plaque for the Tractor Sound Studios in Heywood in memory of John Peel who financed the studios.
Says Hook of Cargo Studios "the effect it had on Rochdale and the North West music scene is immeasurable, much the same that Ian Curtis had on Macclesfield".
Both plaques will be unveiled on September 23rd with Hook and other northern musical celebs, such as OMD's Andy McCluskey, attending.




a fine example of a "blue plaque", pictured earlier.

Sink or swim for Barney and pals

Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris's new project Bad Lieutenant will release its first single 'Sink Or Swim' on September 21st with an album, 'Never Cry Another Tear' to follow on October 5th.
Typically there would seem to be some confusion about the band members with some sources citing Sumner and fellow New Order member Phil Cunningham as mainmen together with new vocalist/guitarist/Jake Evans of Rambo and Leroy, with Stephen Morris and Blur bassist Alex James not being "official members".
In a statement, Sumner praised his band-mates, saying, “We've worked hard on it [the album] and I'm proud of it.” A tour is also expected to be announced, with Morris and bassist Tom Chapman joining Bad Lieutenant’s live line-up.




Bernard Sumner: he's bad.

Party like it's 1979

Continuing our belated '30 years of..' 1979-2009 celebrations, LIM picks this week's weird and wonderful compilation of the week, thanks to Compo Culture: CD & record compilations from the 70s and 80s.
The marvellous Rock n Roller Disco on the Ronco label delightfully highlights what a weird year 1979 was, fluctuating between MOR pop, disco and much watered-down reggae but with some 'new wave' and post punk creeping in there too.
So we therefore find The Boomtown Rats rubbing shoulders with the likes of Dollar (two hits featured here), and The Real Thing with Public Image Ltd. Jimmy Lindsay's Ain't No Sunshine blends almost seamlessly with Sparks' G Moroder produced Beat the Clock (which anticipated synth pop by a good couple of years) and the wonderfully whacky Flying Lizards come crashing in with Money after Bill Lovelady's crashingly boring Reggae For It Now. The Buggles 'Video Killed..' oft misquoted as the quintissential "80s" record takes it's rightful place in 1979 alongside B A Robertson (only one of his two hits featured here, sadly) and The Jolly Brothers...who?
Enjoy and party like it's 1979...
link
1979 music on wiki

B A Robertson - Bang Bang
Sparks - Beat The Clock.mp3




B A Robertson: 1979 incarnate

30 years of Pleasures pt 2

Gary Numan has announced a tour, a book and a brand new CD issue to commemorate the 30th anniversary of his seminal electronic album The Pleasure Principle, first issued in September 1979.
Although initially planned as one-off show at the Manchester Academy on 21st November, the tour will now take in more dates, despite Numan's dislike of 'nostalgia' tours. Full details to be announced shortly.
Meanwhile the book Backstage written by über-fan Steve Roper is also due for issue in November. Steve runs The Touring Principle site "dedicated to the most prolific and entertaining period of Gary Numan's career, 1979 to 1981" and was a driving force behind the issues of Numan's classic 'lost' live performances on CD, Living Ornaments 1980 (2005) and Engineers (2008).
Backstage's myspace also announces an official release date of September 21, 2009 for The Pleasure Principle 30th Anniversary edition. According to the site's blog "the CD will be a double CD with extra demo tracks, plus there will also be a limited edition 3rd CD available, from NuWorld only."








The Pleasure Principle: 30 years on and the pyramid still hasn't budged.


Gary Numan - Conversation (Early Version 2)